by Homer H. Humphries Jr.
On Friday, Sept. 18, I had the opportunity to attend funeral services for Robert J. Beckham. Although no one requested me to do so, I have taken the liberty of writing my remembrances of this fine lawyer and good friend.
I feel I tried as many cases against Bob as any other lawyer here in Jacksonville. Bob was trying cases mostly in Dade County early in his career. This was due to a statutory provision which required certain cases to be filed and tried in Dade County. Sometime in the early ‘60s, that provision in the law was changed and the Federal Employees Liability Act (FELA) cases were filed primarily in Duval County, the main offices of then SCL Railroad. Bob was living in Miami and spending the majority of his time trying cases here in Jacksonville. That is when I first met Bob, and thereafter received instruction from him as to how an excellent lawyer tries a FELA case. I believe it was in the mid-70s when he moved to Jacksonville and immediately became a total member of our community.
Through attendance at the funeral, reading the newspaper article written by Jessie-Lynne Kerr and the column in the obituaries, I learned much more of his life. He was an active member of his church, a humanitarian, and a totally committed husband and father. His beautiful and talented family members were a pleasure to meet at the reception following the funeral.
I know, firsthand, that Bob was the type of lawyer with whom a written agreement was never required. It is unfortunate that all lawyers do not adhere to that approach in their practice of law. The only required written documents with him were pleadings, discovery and a pretrial stipulation (required by the court). Over the years I think we opposed each other at trial in a total of 25-35 cases. Bob was never loud or boisterous, never impolite, never disrespectful, never untruthful and never inconsiderate of anyone around him. I can say that he was a wonderful person and one of the finest lawyers I have known. He was the absolute best at cross-examination of a witness.
Although I have not tried a case against him in recent years, I did have the opportunity to see him occasionally at the Vintage Lawyers luncheons. It is most difficult to realize that he will no longer be in attendance. I know he will be greatly missed by his wife, Emily, and the rest of his family. I would like for them to know many of his fellow lawyers will also miss him, particularly those of us who opposed him in the courtroom.